Secondary Education Schools and Programs in Spain

Secondary Education Studies in Spain

Secondary education in Spain has two parts: compulsory secondary education (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, ESO), normally from age 12 to 16, and the two-year Bachillerato, the upper-secondary stage that prepares students for university. This page is for families moving to Spain with teenagers, for students who want to finish school here, and for graduates who want to teach at secondary level. Our directory lists 77 schools in Spain under this subject, most of them schools that teach ESO and Bachillerato, plus a few academies and universities that train future teachers.

How secondary school is organised

According to the Ministry of Education, ESO consists of four school years, normally taken between the ages of twelve and sixteen. It is compulsory and free in public schools, and students have the right to stay in the stage until the age of eighteen. ESO ends with the title of Graduado en Educación Secundaria Obligatoria.

The Bachillerato belongs to post-compulsory secondary education. It takes two years and prepares students for higher education. Schools may offer four tracks (modalidades): Arts, Science and Technology, General, and Humanities and Social Sciences. Each combines common subjects, track subjects and electives; in Science and Technology, for example, first-year students take Mathematics I and two of Biology, Geology and Environmental Sciences, Technical Drawing, Physics and Chemistry, or Technology and Engineering.

Types of school

Families can choose between public secondary schools (institutos de educación secundaria, IES), state-funded private schools (concertados) and fully private schools. Some public schools have a long history: IES San Isidro in central Madrid states that it has taught without interruption since its foundation in 1580. Many schools teach in more than one language; the Colegio Alemán in San Sebastián, a concertado school founded in 1921, teaches in German, Basque, English and Spanish.

There are also international schools that follow a foreign curriculum, mostly in English. The American School of Madrid has taught students of all nationalities since 1961, and states that about one third of its students are American, one third Spanish and one third from some 60 other countries. St Peter's School in Barcelona teaches the International Baccalaureate continuum and was, according to the school, the first international school in Barcelona to use English as a first language, in 1964. British-curriculum schools such as Runnymede College near Madrid, Aloha College in Marbella and the English International College in Marbella are listed in our directory. Madrid, Barcelona, Marbella, Seville and Málaga have the most schools in this category.

Joining the Spanish system from abroad

Students arriving from another country's school system are placed in an ESO year according to their circumstances, knowledge, age and academic record. No validation (convalidación) of earlier studies is needed to join the Spanish system up to the fourth year of ESO. To have a foreign qualification recognised as the Spanish ESO certificate, the ministry asks for the last four years of studies; for the Bachiller title, at least the last three. Documents must be official, legalised and accompanied by an official translation into Spanish.

Students who finish secondary school outside the Spanish system (for example in an international school) and want to enter a Spanish university usually go through UNEDasiss, the UNED service that assesses international students' academic records for admission to Spanish bachelor's degrees.

Becoming a secondary school teacher

Teaching ESO, Bachillerato, vocational training and languages is a regulated profession in Spain. Besides a degree in the subject, teachers need an official master's degree in teacher training; the Ministry's RUCT register returns 77 records for the Máster Universitario en Formación del Profesorado de Educación Secundaria and its variants, offered by public and private universities across the country. Teachers with a foreign qualification need homologation to work in this profession, and those from countries where Spanish is not an official language must also show Spanish at level B2. Permanent posts in public schools are filled through competitive exams (oposiciones) organised by the regions; private academies such as ECOEM in Seville prepare candidates for them.

Frequently asked questions

At what age do students start secondary school in Spain?

ESO normally runs from age 12 to 16 over four years. The Bachillerato follows with two more years, usually until age 18.

Is secondary school free in Spain?

ESO is compulsory and free in public schools. Concertado schools receive public funding, while private and international schools charge their own fees.

Does my child need to validate foreign studies to join a Spanish school?

No validation is needed to join the Spanish system up to the fourth year of ESO. The school places the student according to age, knowledge and academic record.

What do I need to teach in a Spanish secondary school?

A university degree and the official master's degree in secondary teacher training. Public schools hire permanent teachers through regional competitive exams (oposiciones).